Blessings and Transitions
Summer is coming to an end, a new school year is beginning, and soon we will be celebrating Labor Day! This time of year has always seemed to me to be a transition time. So much is ending (vacations, warm weather, sunshine, golf and gardening seasons etc…) and so much new stuff is starting up. One of the best ways to transition into a new season of life is to do so with a blessing. A blessing is a statement of good will and happiness that is said towards another person. It usually also includes as well as the condition that fulfills those good words. When we bless one another (as Jesus taught us to) we are actually proclaiming the will of God into each other’s lives. One caveat here, in the sermon on the mount Jesus teaches us that we can never be happy when we live self-centered lives. Too often our blessings (or our personal wishes) to each other are mistakenly centered on self-fulfillment or self-pleasure than realizing the will of God (which is true contentment and happiness) in our lives.
So blessing someone = speaking God’s true desire of contentment and happiness into someone’s life–which will always involve moving them away from self-centeredness or hedonism. That sounds like a mouthful. So here are some blessings that you can speak into each other’s lives to help encourage and support the people you love during this time of transition.
- May the love of the Father, the tenderness of the Son, and the presence of the Spirit, gladden your heart and bring peace to your soul, this day and all days, Amen.
- May God the Father prepare your journey, Jesus the Son guide your footsteps, The Spirit of Life strengthen your body, The Three in One watch over you, on every road that you may follow.
- May the peace of God enfold us, the love of God uphold us, and the wisdom of God control us.
- Let the majesty of the Father be the light by which you walk, the compassion of the Son be the love by which you walk, the presence of the Spirit be the power by which you walk.
- May the peace of God reign in this place and the love of God forever hold you tight, May the Spirit of God flow through your life and the joy of God uphold you day and night.
- The love of God be the passion in your heart. The joy of God your strength when times are hard. The presence of God a peace that overflows. The Word of God the seed that you might sow.
- May the beauty of God be reflected in your eyes, the love of God be reflected in your hands, the wisdom of God be reflected in your words, and the knowledge of God flow from your heart, that all might see, and seeing, believe. (John Birch “Blessings and Benedictions”)
[button url=”http://www.alpinelutheran.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Summit-082216.pdf” target=”_blank” color=”blue” size=”large” border=”false” icon=”fa fa-file-pdf-o” btn_content=”Click Here to View the Full Summit”]